Announcements
St. John’s Lutheran Church
109 Maple St. Burt, Iowa|Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Pastor: Rev. Thomas Cowell
Secretary: Rosann Shipler
Pastor’s Cell: 319-464-5548
Church Office: 515-924-3344 stjohnsburt.org
Pastor’s Email: pastor@stjohnsburt.org
Church Email: churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org
THE DAY OF PENTECOST
May 31, 2020
O God, on this day You once taught the hearts of Your faithful people by sending them the light of Your Holy Spirit. Grant us in our day by the same Spirit to have a right understanding in all things and evermore to rejoice in His holy consolation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
THIS WEEK AT ST. JOHN’S Today, May 31 9:00 a.m. Divine Service (Pentecost) (C) Sunday, June 7 9:00 a.m. Divine Service (Holy Trinity) (C) | THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR June 1 Commemoration of Justin, Martyr June 5 Commemoration of Boniface of Mainz |
ST. JOHN’S NEWS
Organist Today: Marcia Hanna Elder for May: Tony Hatten
Get Well Cards - Joel Smith is continuing his recovery from a brain aneurysm at Pearl Valley Rehab & Nursing, 2001 1st Ave. North, Estherville, Iowa 51334. Feel free to send a card and let him know he is in your prayers.
Masks - Adult masks and children masks are on the table in the back of the church. If you need an extra mask to keep in your car when you travel to various places or go into stores or doctor offices, please feel free to take one.
New Weekly Announcements Email - St. John’s has started emailing our weekly announcements through Flocknote. If you would like to receive these weekly announcements in a computer or smartphone-friendly format, contact the church office and we can add you to the list. You can also contact the church office to update any of your Flocknote preferences.
Carefully consider your return to church - We rejoice that those who are able can attend the Divine Service at St. John’s once again. However, we urge you to take personal responsibility for determining whether or not it is best for you to be coming to church Sunday morning. If you do decide it is best for your own health or the health of others for you to stay home, you should feel no judgement from God or your congregation for taking these precautions. We at St. John’s are happy to support you as you make the best decision for your own unique personal situation.
Pastoral care available - Pastor Cowell continues to be available for pastoral care. He is happy to hear your confession and absolve your sins or to give you Holy Communion individually at any time. If you are not comfortable visiting or being visited, he is happy to talk with you on the phone. His cell phone is 319-464-5548.
New Online Resources from St. John’s - Be sure to check out the two new additions to stjohnsburt.org. The first is a link on the homepage to the “St. John’s Kids” Youtube playlist (“kids” of all ages!). The second is the “Pastor’s Corner” tab at the top of stjohnsburt.org. This tab will include reflections and lessons from Pastor Cowell on a variety of topics of the Christian faith such as sacred art and music, the liturgy, the Lutheran Confessions, habits of the Christian life, and Bible studies. If you have any recommendations for content for either the Youtube channel or Pastor’s Corner, feel free to let Pastor Cowell know!
- Note that Pastor Cowell is currently adding content to the Pastor’s Corner tab at stjohnsburt.org. Check back in the coming weeks to see more new entries.
Resources for your faith at home - For the next few months St. John’s will continue to offer all of the resources online and in the back of church that we have been since March. We pray this will be of benefit to those who are not yet comfortable returning to church as well as those looking to develop habits of prayer and reading Scripture at home.
St. John’s Vacation Bible School - This year St. John’s is hosting a "family VBS." This means that we are encouraging all our members and friends of all ages to join the kids as we learn what it means to be a Christian family as well as a Christian church family. The VBS will be on four Wednesday evenings from 5:30-7:30, with supper being at 5:30. Our big uncertainty right now is when we will be able to have our first VBS Wednesday! We will let you know as soon as we have the dates set. If you would like to volunteer at the VBS in any capacity, please let Pastor or a member of the Board of Education know and we’ll find you a spot to serve.
Offerings and alms during our time away – We thank God for blessing us with the tools and resources to continue the distribution of His grace at St. John’s, and we thank God for blessing us with faithful Christians to fund our ministry and operational expenses. Keep up the good work! Also note that if you or your family has encountered any financial hardship during this time, don’t hesitate to contact Pastor Cowell to see if our congregation can help in any way.
St. John’s T-Shirts! - St. John’s decided to take advantage of a great deal on bulk-order T-shirts from Threads in Algona. Below is a design. They are dark blue and are available in all standard sizes (and fit according to standard sizes). Call or text Hannah Cowell at 712-294-4962 by June 15th to order. All sizes are $6. You can pay Hannah either when you order or when you receive the shirt near the end of June.
SYNOD, DISTRICT, & PARTNERSHIP NEWS
Trinity, Algona Schedule - As Trinity, Algona opens their worship in their church building today, note that they will continue their livestreamed service and other online resources in the coming months. You can find all these resources from Trinity at: trinityalgona.org/corona.
Camp Okoboji has cancelled summer programs, but is still renting out the Family Ministry Cabins. See campokoboji.org for more information.
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis - Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr., president of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, has declined the call to serve as the 11th president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. We pray that God continues to bless the service of Dr. Rast at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and we pray that God bless Concordia Seminary, St. Louis with the right man to serve there as seminary president.
LECTIONARY SUMMARY (Pentecost Day)
Old Testament: Numbers 11:24–30
The LORD places His Spirit on the seventy elders of Israel. Two elders who weren’t present with the others at the tent of meeting began prophesying in the camp among the people.
Epistle: Acts 2:1–21
The Holy Spirit descends on the Apostles as tongues of fire and they begin to preach the gospel of Jesus in every language among the people.
Gospel: John 7:37–39
Jesus promises: “Whoever believes in me [. . .] out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
LCMS MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Chirst Jesus. - Philippians 4:6–7
LESSONS ON THE LITURGY
Speaking in Tongues
On Pentecost Day the disciples were “filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” While the word tongue is often a synonym for language, the term speaking in tongues in Scripture usually refers to the ability of someone to speak a language they did not previously know. This and other miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit validated the preaching of the apostles of the resurrection of Jesus. For the past 2,000 years the Church has widely agreed that the ability to speak in tongues came to an end after that first generation of disciples. We remember today that we no longer have any need for the gift of tongues, because we have the gift of faith from the Holy Spirit who works through the words of the apostles in Holy Scripture. In this sense the gift of tongues is still of great benefit to the Church today.
FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD
Large Catechism, Part II, Apostles’ Creed, paragraphs 38-42
Neither you nor I could ever know anything about Christ, or believe in Him, and have Him for our Lord, unless it were offered to us and granted to our hearts by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Gospel. The work of redemption is done and accomplished. Christ has acquired and gained the treasure for us by His suffering, death, resurrection, and so on. But if the work remained concealed so that no one knew about it, then it would be useless and lost. So that this treasure might be received and enjoyed, God has caused the Word to be proclaimed. In the Word He has the Holy Spirit bring this treasure home and make it our own. Sanctifying is bringing us to Christ so we receive this good, which we could not get ourselves.
You may be asked, "What do you mean by the words I believe in the Holy Spirit?" You can then answer, "I believe that the Holy Spirit makes me holy, as His name implies." "What are His means to accomplish this end?" Answer, "By the Christian Church, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. For the Spirit has His own congregation in the world, which is the mother that conceives and bears every Christian through God's Word. Through the Word He reveals, He illumines and enkindles hearts, so that they understand, accept and cling to the Word".
